


AO3 Ship Stats 2013

by centreoftheselights



Series: AO3 Ship Stats [1]
Category: No Fandom
Genre: AO3 Statistics, Archived From Tumblr, Archived From centrumlumina Tumblr, Fandom Statistics, Meta Essay, Nonfiction, Research, Sexism in Fandom, Slash Fandom, Women in Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-13
Updated: 2013-08-18
Packaged: 2019-09-14 10:19:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16911123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/centreoftheselights/pseuds/centreoftheselights
Summary: Year One of the AO3 Ship Stats project. This project aims to track and analyse the most popular pairings posted on AO3 over time.





	1. Stage 0: Acknowledging the Limitations

**Author's Note:**

> Archived from Tumblr in December 2018.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some issues outlined from the start of the project.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted 13th August 2013.

Having done some ao3 statistics grabs before, I want to start by making clear a few of the major issues with this kind of project.

ETA: More of the limitations of this data are covered in [the conclusion post](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16911123/chapters/39731508).

**1\. AO3 is not the entirety of fandom**

Fandoms are a diverse group which thrive in a range of habitats. Some fandoms are hugely active but have very little AO3 presence; others are centred almost entirely there. Any AO3 focussed statistics will have a bias towards certain fandoms which could skew the results.

The main reason I am using AO3 rather than any other fandom website is that AO3 makes it very easy to gather quantitative (numerical) evidence. Compared to Livejournal, Fanfic.net or Tumblr, getting statistics from AO3 is ridiculously easy. I need numbers, so I'm sticking to where the numbers are.

I also don't believe that this makes a major difference because AO3 is a very popular multi-fandom archive, so the big trends there do tend to reflect trends across the fannish community as a whole.

ETA: It has been pointed out to me that AO3 is less popular among fandoms for non-Western source material and non-English speaking fandoms. This is a systematic bias in the data, so the trends analysed are probably only applicable to Western, English-speaking fandoms.

I also wanted to clarify that AO3 also only contains data from the last four years, as it was founded in 2009. Thus, the analysis only covers recent trends, and is biased towards new fandoms in that time frame.

**2\. Tagging Inconsistency**

This is the biggest problem I've noticed before on AO3: people do not tag things anywhere close to consistently. There are always those who tag 'A & B' when they mean 'A/B' or vice versa, and it's hard to correct for that without reading every single one of the fics involved.

But there are also a number of issues where the tagging policy is unclear. If a fic contains an AU where a canonically M/M pairing is now between two cis women, does it get tagged M/M or F/F? Is an M/M/M threesome still M/M, or does it fall under Other? Do you tag for side pairings which are only briefly mentioned? What about platonic pairings in fics which are primarily shippy?

These issues grow even more complicated when it comes to the freeform tags. I'm sure I'm not the only author on the archive who can spend hours trying to figure out what to enter there. Without prompting, it's easy to forget a very obviously applicable tag - and even if the author remembers, the tag wranglers do not organise things the way you first expect.

As [drcable](http://drcabl3.tumblr.com/post/58148653641/greenchestnuts-mswyrr-stripysockette) pointed out, this kind of statistics should really also cover the prevalence of trans* characters and issues in fic (I would also be interested in looking at asexuality in fic) but I do not feel I have the time to go into that kind of freeform tag analysis right now.

**3\. The Side Pairing Issue**

As I've mentioned above, there is no clear policy on whether or not to tag for side pairings in a fic. On the one hand, it warns for pairings people would rather avoid; on the other, it can fill the tag with fics which are only tangentially relevant.

As a rule of thumb, I will classify a pairing as a "side pairing" if the work has multiple relationship tags, and neither of the characters involved in that particular ship are mentioned by name in the summary.


	2. Stage 1: Fandoms, Assemble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A list of the fandoms considered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted 13th August 2013.

Below the cut is a list of 222 fandom tags I will be using to gather the dataset for these statistics. This was determined by the fandoms which had 1000 or more works listed on AO3, as of sometime earlier this evening.

A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin

Actor RPF

Adam Lambert (Musician)

American Actor RPF

American Idol RPF

Angel: the Series

Arashi (Band)

Arthurian Mythology & Related Fandoms

Assassin's Creed

Avatar: Legend of Korra

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Avengers (Comics)

Bandom

Batman - All Media Types

Batman (Comics)

Batman (Movies - Nolan)

Battlestar Galactica

Battlestar Galactica (2003)

Blake's 7

Bleach

British Actor RPF

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

BUJOLD Lois McMaster - Works

Cabin Pressure

Canadian 6 Degrees

Captain America

Captain America (Movies)

Castle

Chronicles of Narnia - All Media Types

CLAMP - Works

Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

CONAN DOYLE Arthur - Works

Criminal Minds

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

CW Network RPF

DCU

DCU (Animated)

DCU (Comics)

DCU (Movies)

Death Note

Death Note & Related Fandoms

Disney - All Media Types

Disney Animated Fandoms

Doctor Who

Doctor Who & Related Fandoms

Doctor Who (1963)

Doctor Who (2005)

Dragon Age - All Media Types

Dragon Age (Video Games)

Dragon Age II

Dragon Age: Origins

due South

Fall Out Boy

Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy VII

Firefly

Football RPF

Fringe

Fullmetal Alchemist

GAIMAN Neil - Works

Game of Thrones (TV)

Generation Kill

Glee

Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

Guardians of Childhood & Related Fandoms

Gundam & Related Fandoms

Gundam Wing

Hannibal (TV)

Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Hawaii Five-0 (2010)

Heroes (TV)

Hetalia: Axis Powers

Highlander - All Media Types

Highlander: The Series

Hockey RPF

Homestuck

House M.D.

Hunger Games Series - All Media Types

Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins

Inception (2010)

Internet Personalities

InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale

Iron Man - All Media Types

Iron Man (Movies)

James Bond - All Media Types

James Bond (Craig movies)

James Bond (Movies)

Japanese Actor RPF

Japanese Drama

Johnny's Entertainment

Jossverse

Jpop

Katekyou Hitman Reborn!

Kingdom Hearts

K-pop

Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball

Legend of the Seeker

Les Misérables - All Media Types

Les Misérables - Schönberg/Boublil

Les Misérables - Victor Hugo

Les Misérables (2012)

Leverage

Life on Mars & Related Fandoms

Life on Mars (UK)

Lord of the Rings RPF

Lost

Marvel

Marvel (Comics)

Marvel (Movies)

Marvel 616

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Mass Effect

Merlin (TV)

MS Paint Adventures

Music RPF

My Chemical Romance

Mythology

Naruto

NCIS

New Zealand Actor RPF

Numb3rs

Once Upon a Time (TV)

One Direction (Band)

One Piece

Original Work

Pacific Rim (2013)

Panic! at the Disco

Person of Interest (TV)

Persona Series

Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)

Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types

Popslash

Power Rangers

PRATCHETT Terry - Works

Pride and Prejudice - All Media Types

Primeval

Psych

Queer as Folk (US)

Real Person Fiction

Rise of the Guardians (2012)

Rock Music RPF

Saiyuki

Sanctuary (TV)

Shameless (US)

Sherlock (TV)

Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms

Sherlock Holmes (Downey films)

Shin Megami Tensei Series

Skyfall (2012)

Smallville

Spartacus Series (TV)

Spider-Man - All Media Types

Sports RPF

Star Trek

Star Trek RPF

Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: Voyager

Star Wars - All Media Types

Star Wars Prequel Trilogy

Star Wars: Rise of Empire Era - All Media Types

Stargate - All Series

Stargate Atlantis

Stargate SG-1

Starsky & Hutch

Suits (TV)

Superman - All Media Types

Supernatural

Supernatural RPF

TAKAHASHI Rumiko - Works

Teen Wolf (TV)

Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis

The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom

The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types

The Big Bang Theory (TV)

The Dresden Files - All Media Types

The Hobbit - All Media Types

The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien

The Hobbit (Jackson movies)

The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types

The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings (Movies)

The Losers - All Media Types

The Magnificent Seven (TV)

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

The Professionals

The Sentinel

The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien

The West Wing

The X-Files

Thor - All Media Types

Thor (Movies)

Tokusatsu

TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works

Tommy Ratliff (Musician)

Torchwood

Transformers - All Media Types

Transformers (Bay Movies)

Transformers Generation One

Twilight Series - All Media Types

Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer

Vampire Diaries (TV)

Veronica Mars (TV)

Video Blogging & Youtube RPF

Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold

Walking Dead

Walking Dead (TV)

White Collar

X-Men - All Media Types

X-Men (Comicverse)

X-Men (Movies)

X-Men (Movieverse)

X-Men: First Class (2011)

Young Avengers

Young Justice

Young Justice (Cartoon)

Yu-Gi-Oh!


	3. Stage 2: Launch a Thousand Ships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A list of the qualifying ships.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted 14th August 2013.

Well, actually 161 shipping tags I’m going to use to gather data on.

To get onto this list, the criteria are:

  1. Be a relationship tag associated with one (or more) of the [relevant fandoms](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16911123/chapters/39730413).
  2. Have at least 500 fics (as of when I checked earlier today).
  3. Be in the top 10 most used relationship tags for that fandom.



Our chosen few are as follows:

Aaron Hotchner/Spencer Reid  
Adam Lambert/Tommy Ratliff  
Agron/Nasir  
Akanishi Jin/Kamenashi Kazuya  
Alex Kingston/Matt Smith  
Allison Argent/Scott McCall  
America (Hetalia)/England (Hetalia)  
Amy Pond/Rory Williams  
Angel/Buffy Summers  
Angel/Spike  
Anthony DiNozzo/Jethro Gibbs  
Arthur/Eames (Inception)  
Arya Stark/Gendry Waters  
Axel/Roxas  
Aziraphale/Crowley  
Belle/Rumpelstiltskin | Mr. Gold  
Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski  
Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield  
Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel  
Brad Colbert/Nate Fick  
Bradley James/Colin Morgan  
Brian Kinney/Justin Taylor  
Bruce Banner/Tony Stark  
Castiel & Dean Winchester  
Castiel/Dean Winchester  
Castiel/Sam Winchester  
Chris Pine/Zachary Quinto  
Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne  
Clark Kent/Lex Luthor  
Clark Kent/Lois Lane  
Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov  
Clint Barton/Phil Coulson  
Cosette Fauchelevent/Marius Pontmercy  
Courfeyrac/Jean Prouvaire  
Daniel Jackson/Jack O'Neill  
Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas  
Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester  
Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester  
Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski  
Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid  
Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne  
Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter  
Duncan MacLeod/Methos  
Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy  
Edward Cullen/Bella Swan  
Edward Elric/Roy Mustang  
Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell  
Eleventh Doctor/River Song  
Elizabeth Burke/Peter Burke/Neal Caffrey  
Enjolras/Grantaire  
Eridan Ampora/Sollux Captor  
Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier  
Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan  
Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian  
Fíli/Kíli  
Fox Mulder/Dana Scully  
Frank Iero/Gerard Way  
Frank/Gerard  
Frodo Baggins/Sam Gamgee  
Gabriel/Sam Winchester  
Gamzee Makara/Tavros Nitram  
Gene Hunt/Sam Tyler  
Greg House/James Wilson  
Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)  
Harold Finch/John Reese  
Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley  
Harry Potter/Ron Weasley  
Harry Potter/Severus Snape  
Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson  
Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka  
Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy  
Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley  
Hermione Granger/Severus Snape  
Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich  
Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall  
Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones  
Jade Harley/Dave Strider  
Jake English/Dirk Strider  
James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers  
James Bond/Q  
James T. Kirk/Leonard McCoy  
James T. Kirk/Spock  
Jane Foster/Thor  
Javert/Jean Valjean  
Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki  
Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester  
Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg  
John Egbert/Dave Strider  
John Egbert/Karkat Vantas  
John Sheppard/Elizabeth Weir  
Kaidan Alenko/Male Shepard  
Kate Beckett/Richard Castle  
Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark  
Ken Hutchinson/David Starsky  
Kris Allen/Adam Lambert  
Kurt Hummel/David Karofsky  
Kurt Hummel/Noah Puckerman  
Kurt Hummel/Sebastian Smythe  
Lee Adama/Kara Thrace  
Liam Payne/Louis Tomlinson  
Lily Evans Potter/James Potter  
Lizzie Bennet/William Darcy  
Loki/Thor  
Loki/Tony Stark  
Lucifer/Sam Winchester  
Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore  
Mary Morstan/John Watson  
Merlin/Arthur Pendragon  
Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)  
Mike Ross/Harvey Specter  
Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade  
Mycroft Holmes/Lestrade  
Niall Horan/Harry Styles  
Niall Horan/Liam Payne  
Niall Horan/Zayn Malik  
Ninth Doctor/Rose Tyler  
Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews  
Patrick Stump/Pete Wentz  
Pavel Chekov/Hikaru Sulu  
Pepper Potts/Tony Stark  
Peter Burke/Neal Caffrey  
Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski  
Qui-Gon Jinn/Obi-Wan Kenobi  
Rachel Berry/Finn Hudson  
Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray  
Remus Lupin/Severus Snape  
Rodney McKay/John Sheppard  
Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam  
Ryan Ross/Brendon Urie  
Sam Carter/Jack O'Neill  
Sandor Clegane/Sansa Stark  
Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce  
Sauli Koskinen/Adam Lambert  
Sean Bean/Viggo Mortensen  
Sebastian Moran/Jim Moriarty  
Sheldon Cooper/Penny  
Sherlock Holmes & John Watson  
Sherlock Holmes/John Watson  
Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper  
Sirius Black/Remus Lupin  
Spencer Smith/Brendon Urie  
Spike/Buffy Summers  
Spock/Nyota Uhura  
Steve McGarrett/Danny “Danno” Williams  
Steve Rogers/Tony Stark  
Teddy Altman/Billy Kaplan  
Tenth Doctor (duplicate)/Rose Tyler  
Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler  
Terezi Pyrope/Karkat Vantas  
The Doctor/River Song  
Tim Drake/Jason Todd  
Tim Drake/Kon-El  
Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto  
Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes  
Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter  
William Adama/Laura Roslin  
William Bodie/Ray Doyle  
Xander Harris/Spike  
Zayn Malik/Harry Styles  
Zayn Malik/Liam Payne  
Zayn Malik/Louis Tomlinson


	4. Stage 3: Making a List

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The raw data gathered for the project. This was also presented as a photoset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted 17th August 2013.

Below the cut is the ranked list of the 150 biggest pairing tags on AO3, along with their top fandom, the pairing type, and the number of fics.

1 - Sherlock Holmes/John Watson  - Sherlock (TV) - M/M - 20415  
2 - Castiel/Dean Winchester  - Supernatural - M/M - 15307  
3 - Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski  - Teen Wolf (TV) - M/M - 15162  
4 - Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester  - Supernatural - M/M - 7959  
5 - Merlin/Arthur Pendragon  - Merlin (TV) - M/M - 7838  
6 - Rodney McKay/John Sheppard  - Stargate Atlantis - M/M - 7021  
7 - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson  - One Direction (Band) - M/M - 6809  
8 - Steve Rogers/Tony Stark  - The Avengers (Marvel Movies) - M/M - 6681  
9 - Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg  - The Sentinel - M/M - 6660  
10 - Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter  - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling - M/M - 6107  
11 - Clark Kent/Lex Luthor  - Smallville - M/M - 5879  
12 - Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel  - Glee - M/M - 5483  
13 - Sherlock Holmes & John Watson  - Sherlock (TV) - Gen - 5072  
14 - Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier  - X-Men: First Class (2011) - M/M - 5017  
15 - Steve McGarrett/Danny “Danno” Williams  - Hawaii Five-0 (2010) - M/M - 4989  
16 - Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki  - Supernatural RPF - M/M - 4721  
17 - Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)  - Merlin (TV) - M/M - 4075  
18 - Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones  - Torchwood - M/M - 3796  
19 - Clint Barton/Phil Coulson  - The Avengers (Marvel Movies) - M/M - 3721  
20 - Arthur/Eames (Inception)  - Inception (2010) - M/M - 3645  
21 - Sirius Black/Remus Lupin  - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling - M/M - 3334  
22 - James T. Kirk/Leonard McCoy  - Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies) - M/M - 3140  
23 - Enjolras/Grantaire  - Les Misérables - All Media Types - M/M - 3041  
24 - Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov  - The Avengers (Marvel Movies) - F/M - 3017  
25 - James T. Kirk/Spock  - Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies) - M/M - 2995  
26 - Harry Potter/Severus Snape  - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling - M/M - 2930  
27 - Loki/Thor  - Thor (Movies) - M/M - 2921  
28 - Allison Argent/Scott McCall  - Teen Wolf (TV) - F/M - 2855  
29 - Gabriel/Sam Winchester  - Supernatural - M/M - 2730  
30 - Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski  - due South - M/M - 2624  
31 - Frank/Gerard  - My Chemical Romance - M/M - 2593  
32 - Pepper Potts/Tony Stark  - The Avengers (Marvel Movies) - F/M - 2475  
33 - Daniel Jackson/Jack O'Neill  - Stargate SG-1 - M/M - 2436  
34 - Frank Iero/Gerard Way  - My Chemical Romance - M/M - 2414  
35 - Zayn Malik/Liam Payne  - One Direction (Band) - M/M - 2301  
36 - Mycroft Holmes/Lestrade  - Sherlock (TV) - M/M - 2281  
37 - Loki/Tony Stark  - The Avengers (Marvel Movies) - M/M - 2209  
38 - John Egbert/Dave Strider  - Homestuck - M/M - 2200  
39 - Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield  - The Hobbit (Jackson movies) - M/M - 1973  
40 - The Doctor/River Song  - Doctor Who (2005) - F/M - 1925  
41 - Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley  - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling - F/M - 1845  
42 - Spike/Buffy Summers  - Buffy the Vampire Slayer - F/M - 1840  
43 - James Bond/Q  - Skyfall (2012) - M/M - 1750  
44 - Adam Lambert/Tommy Ratliff  - Adam Lambert (Musician) - M/M - 1746  
45 - Sam Carter/Jack O'Neill  - Stargate SG-1 - F/M - 1716  
46 - Eleventh Doctor/River Song  - Doctor Who (2005) - F/M - 1701  
47 - Belle/Rumpelstiltskin | Mr. Gold  - Once Upon a Time (TV) - F/M - 1628  
48 - Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade  - Sherlock (TV) - M/M - 1555  
49 - Bruce Banner/Tony Stark  - The Avengers (Marvel Movies) - M/M - 1554  
50 - Kris Allen/Adam Lambert  - American Idol RPF - M/M - 1550  
51 - Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore  - Teen Wolf (TV) - F/M - 1539  
52 - Sebastian Moran/Jim Moriarty  - Sherlock (TV) - M/M - 1516  
53 - Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark  - Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins - F/M - 1432  
54 - Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley  - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling - F/M - 1380  
55 - Anthony DiNozzo/Jethro Gibbs  - NCIS - M/M - 1362  
56 - Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy  - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling - F/M - 1345  
57 - Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce  - Glee - F/F - 1344  
58 - Brian Kinney/Justin Taylor  - Queer as Folk (US) - M/M - 1316  
59 - Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler  - Doctor Who (2005) - F/M - 1294  
60 - Niall Horan/Zayn Malik  - One Direction (Band) - M/M - 1291  
61 - Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter  - Hannibal (TV) - M/M - 1287  
62 - Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam  - Homestuck - F/F - 1261  
63 - Jane Foster/Thor  - The Avengers (Marvel Movies) - F/M - 1243  
64 - Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall  - Teen Wolf (TV) - M/M - 1205  
65 - Xander Harris/Spike  - Buffy the Vampire Slayer - M/M - 1133  
66 - Greg House/James Wilson  - House M.D. - M/M - 1126  
67 - Amy Pond/Rory Williams  - Doctor Who (2005) - F/M - 1123  
68 - Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes  - Teen Wolf (TV) - F/M - 1080  
69 - William Bodie/Ray Doyle  - The Professionals - M/M - 1078  
70 - Mike Ross/Harvey Specter  - Suits (TV) - M/M - 1072  
71 - Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester  - Supernatural - Gen - 1067  
72 - Lily Evans Potter/James Potter  - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling - F/M - 1049  
73 - Niall Horan/Harry Styles  - One Direction (Band) - M/M - 1037  
74 - John Egbert/Karkat Vantas  - Homestuck - M/M - 1032  
75 - Edward Cullen/Bella Swan  - Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer - F/M - 1027  
76 - James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers  - Captain America (Movies) - M/M - 1016  
77 - Spock/Nyota Uhura  - Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies) - F/M - 1016  
78 - Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan  - Once Upon a Time (TV) - F/F - 1005  
79 - Jake English/Dirk Strider  - Homestuck - M/M - 1001  
80 - Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester  - Supernatural - F/M - 993  
81 - Remus Lupin/Severus Snape  - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling - M/M - 971  
82 - Mary Morstan/John Watson  - Sherlock (TV) - F/M - 954  
83 - Hermione Granger/Severus Snape  - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling - F/M - 950  
84 - Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne  - DCU (Comics) - M/M - 923  
85 - Fíli/Kíli  - The Hobbit (Jackson movies) - M/M - 918  
86 - Agron/Nasir  - Spartacus Series (TV) - M/M - 890  
87 - Spencer Smith/Brendon Urie  - Panic! at the Disco - M/M - 889  
88 - America (Hetalia)/England (Hetalia)  - Hetalia: Axis Powers - M/M - 886  
89 - Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray  - Glee - F/F - 878  
90 - Patrick Stump/Pete Wentz  - Fall Out Boy - M/M - 877  
91 - Tim Drake/Kon-El  - DCU (Comics) - M/M - 872  
92 - Kurt Hummel/Noah Puckerman  - Glee - M/M - 839  
93 - Castiel/Sam Winchester  - Supernatural - M/M - 827  
94 - Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)  - Merlin (TV) - F/M - 822  
95 - Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto  - Naruto - M/M - 819  
96 - Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas  - Homestuck - M/M - 814  
97 - Ryan Ross/Brendon Urie  - Panic! at the Disco - M/M - 809  
98 - Liam Payne/Louis Tomlinson  - One Direction (Band) - M/M - 801  
99 - Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich  - Shameless (US) - M/M - 796  
100 - Lucifer/Sam Winchester  - Supernatural - M/M - 791  
101 - Courfeyrac/Jean Prouvaire  - Les Misérables - All Media Types - M/M - 782  
102 - Tim Drake/Jason Todd  - DCU (Comics) - M/M - 755  
103 - Cosette Fauchelevent/Marius Pontmercy  - Les Misérables - All Media Types - F/M - 750  
104 - Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper  - Sherlock (TV) - F/M - 748  
105 - Frodo Baggins/Sam Gamgee  - The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien - M/M - 742  
106 - Castiel & Dean Winchester  - Supernatural - Gen - 732  
107 - Chris Pine/Zachary Quinto  - Star Trek RPF - M/M - 730  
108 - Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka  - Naruto - M/M - 728  
109 - Peter Burke/Neal Caffrey  - White Collar - M/M - 725  
110 - Zayn Malik/Harry Styles  - One Direction (Band) - M/M - 724  
111 - John Sheppard/Elizabeth Weir  - Stargate Atlantis - F/M - 710  
112 - Angel/Buffy Summers  - Buffy the Vampire Slayer - F/M - 708  
113 - Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews  - Hockey RPF - M/M - 706  
114 - Edward Elric/Roy Mustang  - Fullmetal Alchemist - M/M - 704  
115 - Elizabeth Burke/Peter Burke/Neal Caffrey  - White Collar - Other - 693  
116 - Fox Mulder/Dana Scully  - The X-Files - F/M - 690  
117 - Kate Beckett/Richard Castle  - Castle - F/M - 689  
118 - Terezi Pyrope/Karkat Vantas  - Homestuck - F/M - 683  
119 - Ken Hutchinson/David Starsky  - Starsky & Hutch - M/M - 677  
120 - Brad Colbert/Nate Fick  - Generation Kill - M/M - 675  
121 - Gamzee Makara/Tavros Nitram  - Homestuck - M/M - 673  
122 - Sauli Koskinen/Adam Lambert  - Adam Lambert (Musician) - M/M - 671  
123 - Harry Potter/Ron Weasley  - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling - M/M - 663  
124 - Kurt Hummel/David Karofsky  - Glee - M/M - 662  
125 - Duncan MacLeod/Methos  - Highlander: The Series - M/M - 657  
126 - Qui-Gon Jinn/Obi-Wan Kenobi  - Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace - M/M - 656  
127 - Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid  - Criminal Minds - M/M - 651  
128 - Teddy Altman/Billy Kaplan  - Young Avengers - M/M - 651  
129 - Jade Harley/Dave Strider  - Homestuck - F/M - 637  
130 - Eridan Ampora/Sollux Captor  - Homestuck - M/M - 631  
131 - Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian  - Mass Effect - F/M - 627  
132 - Arya Stark/Gendry Waters  - A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin - F/M - 609  
133 - Harold Finch/John Reese  - Person of Interest (TV) - M/M - 609  
134 - Niall Horan/Liam Payne  - One Direction (Band) - M/M - 609  
135 - William Adama/Laura Roslin  - Battlestar Galactica (2003) - F/M - 604  
136 - Gene Hunt/Sam Tyler  - Life on Mars (UK) - M/M - 601  
137 - Lizzie Bennet/William Darcy  - Lizzie Bennet Diaries - F/M - 599  
138 - Tenth Doctor (duplicate)/Rose Tyler  - Doctor Who (2005) - F/M - 596  
139 - Aziraphale/Crowley  - Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett - M/M - 593  
140 - Aaron Hotchner/Spencer Reid  - Criminal Minds - M/M - 590  
141 - Bradley James/Colin Morgan  - Merlin (TV) RPF - M/M - 588  
142 - Lee Adama/Kara Thrace  - Battlestar Galactica (2003) - F/M - 572  
143 - Angel/Spike  - Angel: the Series - M/M - 569  
144 - Sean Bean/Viggo Mortensen  - Lord of the Rings RPF - M/M - 569  
145 - Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski  - Teen Wolf (TV) - M/M - 562  
146 - Kaidan Alenko/Male Shepard  - Mass Effect - M/M - 560  
147 - Clark Kent/Lois Lane  - Smallville - F/M - 551  
148 - Sandor Clegane/Sansa Stark  - A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin - F/M - 549  
149 - Kurt Hummel/Sebastian Smythe  - Glee - M/M - 548  
150 - Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell  - Fullmetal Alchemist - F/M - 547

[Not originally transcribed, ships #150-161:

151 - Sheldon Cooper/Penny  - The Big Bang Theory (TV) - F/M - 542  
152 - Alex Kingston/Matt Smith  - Doctor Who RPF - F/M - 540  
153 - Axel/Roxas  - Kingdom Hearts - M/M - 537  
154 - Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy  - Gundam Wing - M/M - 527  
155 - Akanishi Jin/Kamenashi Kazuya  - KAT-TUN (Band) - M/M - 525  
156 - Javert/Jean Valjean  - Les Misérables - All Media Types - M/M - 525  
157 - Zayn Malik/Louis Tomlinson  - One Direction (Band) - M/M - 519  
158 - Ninth Doctor/Rose Tyler  - Doctor Who (2005) - F/M - 515  
159 - Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne  - Batman (Comics) - M/M - 511  
160 - Rachel Berry/Finn Hudson  - Glee - F/M - 509  
161 - Pavel Chekov/Hikaru Sulu  - Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies) - M/M - 505]


	5. Stage 4: Summary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Overall stats for the top 100.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted 17th August 2013.

Now that [the data](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16911123/chapters/39731004) is up, let’s look at some numbers.

In the 100 most popular relationship tags on AO3, there are:

  * 2 male-male platonic relationships, at #13 and #71.
  * 4 F/F relationships, which placed between #57 and #89.
  * 24 F/M relationships, ranging from #24 to #94.
  * 70 M/M relationships, spanning the full range of the list.



Of the 200 names in those tags, 168 are men, and 32 are women.


	6. Stage 5: Canonicity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Data on which ships were canon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted 17th August 2013.

Now that I have my top 100 pairings, I thought I’d take a look at how many of them were canon.

Obviously, the definition of canon can be shady in places, so the full list of my classifications is below the cut. Where I was uncertain, I’ve decided to err on the side of non-canon.

ETA: This only includes couples who had an established romantic and/or sexual relationship within one of the canon works. UST couples have not been counted.

Summary:

  * In the top 100, a total of 30 pairings are canon, counting the platonic pairings.
  * Among M/M pairings, 6 out of 70 pairings (9%) are canon.
  * Among F/M pairings, 20 out of 24 pairings (83%) are canon.
  * Among F/F pairings, 2 out of 4 (50%) are canon.



Data:

1 - Sherlock Holmes/John Watson  - No  
2 - Castiel/Dean Winchester  - No  
3 - Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski  - No  
4 - Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester  - No  
5 - Merlin/Arthur Pendragon  - No  
6 - Rodney McKay/John Sheppard  - No  
7 - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson  - No  
8 - Steve Rogers/Tony Stark  - No  
9 - Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg  - No  
10 - Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter  - No  
11 - Clark Kent/Lex Luthor  - No  
12 - Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel  - Yes  
13 - Sherlock Holmes & John Watson  - Yes  
14 - Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier  - No  
15 - Steve McGarrett/Danny “Danno” Williams  - No  
16 - Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki  - No  
17 - Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)  - No  
18 - Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones  - Yes  
19 - Clint Barton/Phil Coulson  - No  
20 - Arthur/Eames (Inception)  - No  
21 - Sirius Black/Remus Lupin  - No  
22 - James T. Kirk/Leonard McCoy  - No  
23 - Enjolras/Grantaire  - No  
24 - Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov  - No  
25 - James T. Kirk/Spock  - No  
26 - Harry Potter/Severus Snape  - No  
27 - Loki/Thor  - No  
28 - Allison Argent/Scott McCall  - Yes  
29 - Gabriel/Sam Winchester  - No  
30 - Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski  - No  
31 - Frank/Gerard  - No  
32 - Pepper Potts/Tony Stark  - Yes  
33 - Daniel Jackson/Jack O'Neill  - No  
34 - Frank Iero/Gerard Way  - No  
35 - Zayn Malik/Liam Payne  - No  
36 - Mycroft Holmes/Lestrade  - No  
37 - Loki/Tony Stark  - No  
38 - John Egbert/Dave Strider  - No  
39 - Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield  - No  
40 - The Doctor/River Song  - Yes  
41 - Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley  - Yes  
42 - Spike/Buffy Summers  - Yes  
43 - James Bond/Q  - No  
44 - Adam Lambert/Tommy Ratliff  - No  
45 - Sam Carter/Jack O'Neill  - No  
46 - Eleventh Doctor/River Song  - Yes  
47 - Belle/Rumpelstiltskin | Mr. Gold  - Yes  
48 - Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade  - No  
49 - Bruce Banner/Tony Stark  - No  
50 - Kris Allen/Adam Lambert  - No  
51 - Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore  - Yes  
52 - Sebastian Moran/Jim Moriarty  - No  
53 - Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark  - Yes  
54 - Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley  - Yes  
55 - Anthony DiNozzo/Jethro Gibbs  - No  
56 - Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy  - No  
57 - Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce  - Yes  
58 - Brian Kinney/Justin Taylor  - Yes  
59 - Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler  - Yes  
60 - Niall Horan/Zayn Malik  - No  
61 - Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter  - No  
62 - Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam  - Yes  
63 - Jane Foster/Thor  - Yes  
64 - Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall  - No  
65 - Xander Harris/Spike  - No  
66 - Greg House/James Wilson  - No  
67 - Amy Pond/Rory Williams  - Yes  
68 - Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes  - Yes  
69 - William Bodie/Ray Doyle  - No  
70 - Mike Ross/Harvey Specter  - No  
71 - Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester  - Yes  
72 - Lily Evans Potter/James Potter  - Yes  
73 - Niall Horan/Harry Styles  - No  
74 - John Egbert/Karkat Vantas  - No  
75 - Edward Cullen/Bella Swan  - Yes  
76 - James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers  - No  
77 - Spock/Nyota Uhura  - Yes  
78 - Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan  - No  
79 - Jake English/Dirk Strider  - Yes  
80 - Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester  - Yes  
81 - Remus Lupin/Severus Snape  - No  
82 - Mary Morstan/John Watson  - Yes  
83 - Hermione Granger/Severus Snape  - No  
84 - Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne  - No  
85 - Fíli/Kíli  - No  
86 - Agron/Nasir  - Yes  
87 - Spencer Smith/Brendon Urie  - No  
88 - America (Hetalia)/England (Hetalia)  - No  
89 - Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray  - No  
90 - Patrick Stump/Pete Wentz  - No  
91 - Tim Drake/Kon-El  - No  
92 - Kurt Hummel/Noah Puckerman  - No  
93 - Castiel/Sam Winchester  - No  
94 - Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)  - Yes  
95 - Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto  - No  
96 - Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas  - No  
97 - Ryan Ross/Brendon Urie  - No  
98 - Liam Payne/Louis Tomlinson  - No  
99 - Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich  - Yes  
100 - Lucifer/Sam Winchester  - No


	7. Stage 6: Sidelined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ships whose most common fic category did not match the category of pairing (suggesting a common side pairing).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted 17th August 2013.

A small curiosity I discovered while data-gathering.

I initially thought the best way to identify the type of each ship would be by the most commonly used type for that relationship tag. But as it turns out, that’s not always the case.

There are a small number of ships which are so frequently used as side pairings that the most common type of fic does not correspond to the type of pairing.

13\. Sherlock Holmes & John Watson. Sherlock (TV). A Gen relationship, more commonly tagged as M/M.

28\. Allison Argent/Scott McCall. Teen Wolf (TV). A F/M relationship, more commonly tagged as M/M.

51\. Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore. Teen Wolf (TV). A F/M relationship, more commonly tagged as M/M.

68\. Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes. Teen Wolf (TV). A F/M relationship, more commonly tagged as M/M.

82\. Mary Morstan/John Watson. Sherlock (TV). A F/M relationship, more commonly tagged as M/M.

106\. Castiel & Dean Winchester. Supernatural. A Gen relationship, more commonly tagged as M/M.

160\. Rachel Berry/Finn Hudson. Glee. A F/M relationship, more commonly tagged as M/M.


	8. Stage 7: Panfandom Overview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> General stats for the archive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted 17th August 2013.

A quick look at the statistics for AO3 in general.

There were, at the time of taking this snapshot, 798950 fics on AO3. Of these:

  * 398863 (49.9%) were M/M.
  * 211244 (26.4%) were Gen.
  * 176947 (22.1%) were F/M.
  * 40075 (5.0%) were F/F.
  * 32852 (4.1%) were Multi.
  * 14415 (1.8%) were Other.




	9. Stage 8: Cross-Compatibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ship tags containing the highest and lowest percentages of each fic category.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted 17th August 2013.

This is a look into which of the top 100 most popular AO3 relationship tags contained the highest and lowest percentages of each type of fic. For obvious reasons, I have only included ships not of that type.

**Most M/M Compatible Relationships**

  1. Allison Argent/Scott McCall - 79.0%
  2. Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes - 77.3%
  3. Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore - 76.1%
  4. Mary Morstan/John Watson - 59.7%
  5. Sherlock Holmes & John Watson - 59.0%
  6. Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester - 56.4%
  7. Jane Foster/Thor - 41.4%
  8. Spock/Nyota Uhura - 39.0%
  9. Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley - 37.6%
  10. Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam - 35.3%



**Least M/M** ****Compatible** Relationships**

  1. Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan - 0.6%
  2. Belle/Rumpelstiltskin | Mr. Gold - 0.7%
  3. Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark - 1.7%
  4. Sam Carter/Jack O'Neill - 3.1%
  5. Spike/Buffy Summers - 4.0%



**Most F/M Compatible Relationships**

  1. Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam - 28.8%
  2. Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall - 26.5%
  3. Bruce Banner/Tony Stark - 22.0%
  4. Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce - 19.2%
  5. Enjolras/Grantaire - 18.3%
  6. James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers - 18.0%
  7. John Egbert/Karkat Vantas - 16.6%
  8. Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski - 16.3%
  9. Loki/Tony Stark - 15.6%
  10. Jake English/Dirk Strider - 15.6%



**Least F/M** ****Compatible** Relationships**

  1. Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg - 0.8%
  2. Brian Kinney/Justin Taylor - 1.3%
  3. William Bodie/Ray Doyle - 1.3%
  4. Adam Lambert/Tommy Ratliff - 2.3%
  5. Clark Kent/Lex Luthor - 2.3%



**Most F/F Compatible Relationships**

  1. Jake English/Dirk Strider - 13.9%
  2. John Egbert/Karkat Vantas - 12.9%
  3. Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas - 9.8%
  4. Jane Foster/Thor - 8.8%
  5. John Egbert/Dave Strider - 8.1%
  6. Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes - 7.7%
  7. Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore - 6.2%
  8. Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall - 5.6%
  9. Pepper Potts/Tony Stark - 5.5%
  10. Allison Argent/Scott McCall - 5.5%



**Least F/F** ****Compatible** Relationships**

  1. William Bodie/Ray Doyle - 0.2%
  2. Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester - 0.2%
  3. Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg - 0.3%
  4. Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski - 0.5%
  5. Kris Allen/Adam Lambert - 0.6%



**Most Multi Compatible Relationships**

  1. Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam - 22.9%
  2. Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes - 19.9%
  3. Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore - 17.3%
  4. John Egbert/Karkat Vantas - 15.7%
  5. Jane Foster/Thor - 15.6%
  6. Allison Argent/Scott McCall - 15.4%
  7. Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas - 12.9%
  8. Bruce Banner/Tony Stark - 12.8%
  9. Castiel/Sam Winchester - 12.1%
  10. Jake English/Dirk Strider - 11.9%



**Least Multi** ****Compatible** Relationships**

  1. Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg - 0.3%
  2. William Bodie/Ray Doyle - 0.6%
  3. Brian Kinney/Justin Taylor - 0.8%
  4. Steve McGarrett/Danny “Danno” Williams - 1.0%
  5. Clark Kent/Lex Luthor - 1.5%



**Most Other Compatible Relationships**

  1. Loki/Thor - 4.2%
  2. Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas - 3.3%
  3. Jane Foster/Thor - 3.2%
  4. Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam - 3.2%
  5. Jake English/Dirk Strider - 3.1%
  6. Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore - 3.0%
  7. Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester - 2.8%
  8. Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes - 2.8%
  9. Allison Argent/Scott McCall - 2.3%
  10. Sherlock Holmes & John Watson - 2.3%



**Least Other** ****Compatible** Relationships**

  1. Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg - 0.1%
  2. Clark Kent/Lex Luthor - 0.1%
  3. William Bodie/Ray Doyle - 0.4%
  4. Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich - 0.4%
  5. Zayn Malik/Liam Payne - 0.4%



**Most Gen Compatible Relationships**

  1. Amy Pond/Rory Williams - 35.9%
  2. Jane Foster/Thor - 27.9%
  3. Pepper Potts/Tony Stark - 27.4%
  4. Mary Morstan/John Watson - 24.5%
  5. Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin) - 24.1%
  6. Lily Evans Potter/James Potter - 21.6%
  7. Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov - 20.1%
  8. Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley - 19.3%
  9. Spock/Nyota Uhura - 17.5%
  10. The Doctor/River Song - 17.3%



**Least Gen** ****Compatible** Relationships**

  1. Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg - 0.8%
  2. William Bodie/Ray Doyle - 1.2%
  3. Clark Kent/Lex Luthor - 1.4%
  4. Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki - 1.9%
  5. Daniel Jackson/Jack O'Neill - 2.1%




	10. Stage 9: Side Pairings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look at the frequency of being a “side pairing” for the most popular ships of each category.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted 18th August 2013.

Measuring the “side pairing” status of a ship is a difficult one, but I’m classifying a fic’s side pairings as those which a) are not the sole relationship tag present (not counting vague tags like ‘Various relationships’) and b) do not have any of the characters in the relationship mentioned by name in the summary. This obviously isn’t enormously accurate, but it’s the best I can manage.

Using these criteria, I’m looking at the most popular fics for the 5 biggest pairings in each category, and seeing how many of the first page (20 fics) fall into the side pairing category.

**By Hits/Kudos/Comments/Bookmarks**

M/M: **6%**

  * Sherlock Holmes/John Watson: 1 fic/1 fic/4 fics/1 fic. **9%**
  * Castiel/Dean Winchester: 1 fic/0 fics/1 fic/0 fics. **3%**
  * Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski: 0 fics/0 fics/0 fics/0 fics. **0%**
  * Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester: 2 fics/3 fics/3 fics/2 fics. **13%**
  * Merlin/Arthur Pendragon: 1 fic/0 fics/2 fics/0 fics. **4%**



F/M: **62%**

  * Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov: 16 fics/14 fics/15 fics/14 fics. **74%**
  * Allison Argent/Scott McCall: 17 fics/16 fics/16 fics/17 fics. **83%**
  * Pepper Potts/Tony Stark: 9 fics/8 fics/8 fics/9 fics. **43%**
  * The Doctor/River Song: 5 fics/4 fics/4 fics/4 fics. **21%**
  * Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley: 19 fics/18 fics/16 fics/19 fics. **90%**



F/F: **43%**

  * Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce: 11 fics/11 fics/18 fics/17 fics. **71%**
  * Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam: 16 fics/17 fics/17 fics/17 fics. **84%**
  * Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan: 0 fics/0 fics/1 fic/0 fics. **1%**
  * Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray: 4 fics/3 fics/3 fics/4 fics. **18%**




	11. Stage 10: Misogyny?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An essay on the extent to which the statistics found can be attributed to sexism on the parts of the fandom and/or the creators.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted 18th August 2013.

So, I’ve [got my data](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16911123/chapters/39731004). I know that the [majority of popular pairings are M/M](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16911123/chapters/39731127), that [F/M and F/F pairings which are included are far more likely to be canon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16911123/chapters/39731190), and that [they are more likely to be tagged as side pairings](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16911123/chapters/39731391).

So, it’s sexism, right?

Well, yes, probably. But it’s not that simple.

I think it’s safe to say that, given the size of this inequality, there are one or more strong systematic reasons why M/M ships are wildly more popular on AO3 than any kind of ship involving women, and yes, a lot of those are probably rooted in misogynistic attitudes. It’s very difficult to tell what the reasons are for why fandom acts as it does, but here are my thoughts.

This phenomenon is almost certainly not down to large portions of fandom actively deciding that they hate women and will never write about them. Of course, there is a hateful minority in any large group, but if this scale of effect lies solely in their hands, then I would be very surprised. And more than a bit scared.

A more likely expanation is that there is a pre-existing culture of M/M shipping which it is often difficult to find for other kinds of ship, especially F/F. Authors new to fandom are more likely to encounter M/M ships and become familiar with them over other forms of shipping. Fics for the main pairings of the fandom have an established readership, and receive more feedback, which perpetuates their status as the top pairing.

But of course, there’s the question of how M/M ships wind up so often being the fandom juggernauts, and that’s the rub. It’s impossible to pin down exactly what makes someone ship what they ship. It’s a vast oversimplification to claim the entirety of fandom is only interested in “pretty white boys” because that’s what they find attractive - and, at least for my own experiences in fandom, it’s a patently untrue one. (Most of the people I know in fandom are _not_ cishet women.) Nor is “internalised misogyny!” the answer to everything.

But there is clearly more than a little truth in the fact that fandom is often focussed on attractive white males. And, well - so is the canon. While it’s certainly possible to read more into a character than the source material offers, that isn’t everyone’s way of doing things. When the men are the characters explored in most depth - and more than half of the ones left mysteriously unexplored - it’s not surprising that they are the ones that fandom picks up on.

There’s also a vague tendency for popular ships often fall into a limited number of archetypes in canon - the platonic soulmates, the obsessive rivals, the argumentative co-workers who secretly care for one another. It’s not surprising that people have their favourites, and are more likely to enjoy ships with similar dynamics. And, while these archetypes are generally not inherently gendered, it’s often rare to see a female character cast into many of these roles.

Now, none of this means that F/F pairings are non-existent. There are definitely some fandoms where F/F is the most popular kind of ship available - AfterEllen’s femslash madness received millions of votes this year. But these fandoms don’t seem to attract anything like the same numbers as M/M ships do. Why is it that female-centric fandoms seem to be so much smaller than M/M ones?

Of course, it’s also possible that there’s something about AO3 which is skewing the results. But that’s a whole other series of questions. AO3 has only been around a few years, and doesn’t include many older fandoms - has F/F fandom died down in the last few years? Or, if the F/F fans are still around and posting somewhere else, then why don’t they seem to feel welcome on a popular multi-fandom archive?

It’s easy to say “people should write more F/M and F/F fic and then this wouldn’t be a problem” but that’s not fair. People should write what they want to write. But there are reasons why such a vast majority of fans want to write M/M, and that’s something which is worth looking into, both as a general trend and as a topic of personal reflection.

Unfortunately, this concludes the amount of time I have to spend on the subject, but if anyone has any thoughts or wishes to use my data to explore this further, you’re welcome to tag me in it.


End file.
